tricking someone into revealing the truth; fishing for information
Refers to a tactic of pretending ignorance or making a misleading statement to get someone to confirm or disclose something. Often used in the phrase 鎌をかける.
See also: かまをかける
He drew out the other person's true feelings with a trick question.
People who are good at fishing for information naturally gather it during conversation.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
Literally 'sickle hooking'. The expression likely comes from the image of using a sickle to hook something and pull it out, metaphorically applied to extracting hidden information. The exact origin is uncertain.